Round 2 – Circuito del Jarama – 27 February – 1 March 2026
“Jarama isn’t about being the fastest. It’s about being the smartest. Here, the driver who wins is the one who knows exactly when to attack and when to wait. I’m ready.” – Luca Viișoreanu
Luca Viișoreanu and TC Racing head to Circuito del Jarama for Round 2 of the 2026 Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship. After the season opener in Portimão, the team travels to Madrid for a completely different weekend—on a technical, narrow, unforgiving circuit where precision matters more than outright speed.
For Luca, Jarama is a unique challenge: a technical track where every millimeter counts, and where the experience gained at Portimão will be decisive.
Jarama is an old-school circuit—built in 1967, it hosted 9 editions of the Spanish Grand Prix in Formula 1 and remains etched in motorsport history for the legendary 1981 race, when Gilles Villeneuve defended his win for 80 laps against four faster cars.
📍 Location: San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid (32 km north of Madrid)
👤 Designer: John Hugenholtz (also the designer of Suzuka Circuit)
🗓 Opened: 1967
📏 Length: 3,850 meters
🏎 Corners: 14
⚙️ Key trait: The narrowest and most technical circuit in the championship
The Jarama Circuit has never been about speed—it has always been about skill, positioning, and perfect timing. With 5 chicanes and a minimum width of just 12 meters in certain sections, overtaking is extremely difficult. Here, the driver who makes the fewest mistakes wins—not the one with the highest top speed.
Main challenge: Lack of room to maneuver. Jarama doesn’t forgive errors—miss one corner and you can lose 3–4 positions instantly.
- Decisive qualifying — 80% of the race is won in qualifying
- Consistent pace — There’s no room for excessive aggression
- Tyre management — Tight corners wear tyres quickly
- Perfect positioning — The ideal racing line can mean tenths of a second
Friday – Official Practice:
- 2 sessions of 40 minutes (down from 2 hours last year)
Saturday – Qualifying + Race 1 + Sprint Race:
- Qualifying (20 minutes) → sets the grid for Race 1
- Race 1 (30 minutes + 1 lap)
- Race 2 Sprint (reverse grid)
Sunday – Qualifying + Race 3:
- Qualifying (20 minutes) → sets the grid for Race 3
- Race 3 (30 minutes + 1 lap)
After Portimão, Luca now has valuable experience with the new Dallara 326 and the Toyota 1.6L turbo engine. Jarama is the perfect opportunity to show progress and climb the standings.
- Top 10 in qualifying — essential for positioning in Race 1
- Finish all 3 races — consistency and zero mistakes
- Strong points haul — at least one top 8 finish
- Fast learning — adapting to the circuit’s unique character
“Portimão was learning. Jarama is execution. I know I have to be perfect in qualifying—here you can’t easily recover lost positions. I’m focused on consistent pace and making no mistakes.”
Formula 1 (1968–1981):
- 9 editions of the Spanish Grand Prix
- First winner: Graham Hill (1968)
- Last race: Gilles Villeneuve’s legendary 1981 victory—considered one of the greatest defenses in F1 history
Motorcycling:
- 15 editions of the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix (1969–1988)
Why F1 left: Too narrow and too short for modern F1 cars. But for Eurocup-3-level single-seaters, Jarama remains the ultimate precision test.
1990 renovations: The circuit was expanded and modernized—Turn 1 was redesigned, the track was widened, and new paddock facilities were added.
2022 – Rebrand: The circuit is now officially called Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE and hosts national and international racing, including Eurocup-3 and TCR Spain.
Map & location
Address: Autovía A-1, Km 28, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid
Access: 20 minutes from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
Distance from central Madrid: 32 km
The circuit sits directly on the A1 motorway, with dedicated exits—fast and easy access.
Full technical data
- Track length: 3,850 m
- Average width: 12 m
- Longest straight: 600 m
- Number of corners: 14 (mostly tight and technical)
- Elevation change: 30 m
- Spectator capacity: 25,000
- Pit garages: 14
- Direction: Clockwise
The new Dallara 326 at Jarama
Circuito del Jarama will test every strength of the new Dallara 326 single-seater introduced in 2026:
- Engine: Toyota 1.6L turbo, 3-cylinder — ~275 hp
- Gearbox: Hewland with ZF-Sachs clutch
- ECU: Cosworth (new in 2026)
- Communication system: Electronic Marshalling — real-time monitoring
Advantages at Jarama:
- Excellent traction out of tight corners
- Strong braking for frequent chicanes
- Superior agility in technical sections
Points system
Main races (Race 1 & Race 3):
25 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 1 (positions 1–10)
Sprint race (Race 2):
10 – 8 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 (positions 1–8)
Bonuses:
- +2 points for pole position in qualifying
- +1 point for fastest lap (if you finish in the top 10)
Where to watch
Live Streaming: eurocup3.org
Social Media: Follow @lucaviisoreanu on Instagram for live paddock updates
Conclusions
Luca Viișoreanu continues his progress in the 2026 Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship alongside TC Racing, the team founded by professional footballer Thibaut Courtois, with the Romanian driver competing this weekend in round two at Circuito del Jarama.
After the season opener in Portimão, Luca Viișoreanu and TC Racing travelled to Spain’s Jarama Circuit for the championship’s second round, with a special highlight: Thibaut Courtois was present with the team throughout the entire weekend.
“Thibaut’s presence at Jarama was a huge motivation. It’s not just about having the team’s backer with us — it’s about having someone who truly believes in this project and wants us to succeed. You can feel that on track,” said Luca Viișoreanu.
The weekend brought clear signs of progress. In qualifying for the sprint races, Luca secured 6th place in the Rookie classification — a result that reflects his continued adaptation to the new Dallara 326 single-seater and to the demands of the Jarama circuit. The highlight of the weekend came in the sprint races, where Luca recorded the highest top speed — a clear indicator of the positive direction in which the team is developing.
“Jarama is a technical, demanding circuit. I felt real progress compared to Portimão, both in understanding the car and in race pace. The highest top speed in the sprint shows we’re on the right path. There’s still work to do, but the direction is clear,” Luca Viișoreanu added.
Thibaut Courtois’ presence trackside further strengthened the close relationship between the driver and TC Racing, underlining the team’s direct and tangible involvement in Luca’s development ahead of the start of the main 2026 season.
“We’re trying to build something of quality here. Luca learns quickly and the results show it. We still have the final winter round at Motorland, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to make sure he’s in the best possible shape at the start of the Eurocup-3 season,” said Thibaut Courtois.